Profile For Crawdaddy

I would like to add that buying some extra 4 in ratchets with flat hooks and with chains and have 2in ratchets with flat hooks and with chains. Investing in some good stake pocket holders for those times your load happens to stack directly over one. Buy an extra winch bar cut in half and use for products like sheetrock that can easily be damage from over tightening. Get a good pair of steel toe boots. I got 2 pair just in case one gets wet I have a spare to change into, one looks like hiking boots and the other looks like walking shoes. Get a good pair of rain boots cause your time will come for load, unloading, and tarp/untrapping in rain. Invest in a good strap winder if one is not provided. For the corners protectors that are put on loads build a PVC pipe 5ft or so with a T fitting on top with a slit to fit the corner protectors. Have a small tool kit on hand for fixing winches and other minor things.

I would like to say that I am beginning my career at Keim. I have spoke with them the beginning of this week and they have me scheduled to begin on Dec 27th.My experience has been great so far! They have been very helpful and have answered all my questions. I never felt "recruited" by them they have openly taken me in. I was informed that I will be starting out makin 25 1/4%. I am excited to start! I am going to do the best I can for them and hope the same for me! Looking forward to eventually becoming a trainer and hauling their specialized freight. They have definitely tried me like family so far! I tried going to TMC, while they seemed to be a great company while I was in origination it unfortunately did not work out for me due to unresolved issues with the training department.

Thanks Old School for this tip! When you say early in the day do you mean like 0500? Is it possible to get 2 loads in a day? When is it the best time to call in dispatch to be available? Should I call like 20 miles from the freight destination to ensure that I receive a new load as soon as I drop off the one that I have, so I can turn and burn? Tell me if I am thinking wrong about this.

My biggest tip would be one in how to make some money as a flat bed driver. Make sure you get to your deliveries early in the day so you can get yourself on your dispatchers list as "available." Once you start establishing a pattern of doing that they will be looking out for good loads for you each time they are expecting you to get empty. I always manage this little trick by sleeping on my customers property. The first truck in is the first truck out, and that's how you do the Hokey Pokey!

Errol its not a dry van its a flatbed. What I meant by seemed is the fact that I do not know there safety policy. I mean for all I know is they could make me run over on my HOS and have me trying to run 2 logbooks. Possibly even not fix the problems that I report on the pre-trip inspection report. I am not saying that I wont live by it ,I was just going off the information I was fed by the company. I always keep safety in mind no matter what I do. I have read about companies that force their drivers do drive over there hours knowing that they are out of hours. This company didn't seem to be that way. Sorry if it sounds as though I am repeating myself. Not trying to be disrespectful either. Thanks

Good luck in school. Here's some advance warning I offer to dry van students:

Your "car" is now 60' long. Unless you are simply driving down a highway, do not think you just point the front end and go. You are actually driving the tandems along a safe path, and so you need to watch in the mirrors much more than in a car.

Seem very safety oriented. ... Any tips on the best way to earn their trust while working to make more money?

"Seem safety oriented"? Crawdaddy, start to live safety oriented. You most probably will get into a few minor crunches, that's to be expected. But safety needs to be on your mind from pre-trip to sign off. That will go far in earning trust. Also, simply do your job. In the beginning, do ask questions, but after a while, work to be a "dispatch it and forget it" for your dispatcher.

Good luck out there!

I have recently started CDL school on Monday. Yesterday I took my test passed and received my permit. Start Pretrip tomorrow through Tuesday and Wednesday starts driving. I have decided that I might be going with Keim TS once I finishing school they seem really hospitable and have seemed really interested in me that just as a driver but as a person. I have wanted to do flat bed or tanker but think I will do flat bed. Look forward to working hard. I hope that I will do as good as what they think I can accomplish. Seem very safety oriented. They are small compared to other companies but I enjoy that type of feel and they seem to have steady freight especially in my area. Terminal is about 2 hours away which isn't bad. Any tips on the best way to earn their trust while working to make more money? Or just tips in general for a new flat bed driver? Thanks!!

As Brett mentions - there are psych meds that are absolutely prohibited by DOT themselves (adderall would be one of them for example), and one that are OK with DOT, but companies won't allow (safety dept/insurance).

Sad part is - from our experience here, the COMPANY WILL NOT TELL YOU AHEAD OF TIME, whether or not the particular med you take is on the banned list.

We've had users here report to the board that companies have refused to disclose whether the meds they were on were ok (for fear of a discrimination suit supposedly), then when the driver shows up for orientation, they get sent home to get off the meds.

Sadly - there's nothing that DOT or anyone else can do to clear this up.

Crawdaddy - what specific meds are you on? Anything for INSOMNIA is going to put you at risk for drowsiness behind the wheel. The only thing we've heard of being OK as a sleep aid is MELATONIN. The company will not "black list" you for psych meds, as they would for a failed drug screen - you will just be sent home to get your meds changed. It won't go on your DAC - and unless the substance you are taking is on the FMCSA banned list, you won't even be failed on the physical (technically). Simply keep the med card you already have on record with your DMV.

As far as "illegal substances" (and weed is still federally illegal, and even if it becomes federally legal - will not be on an "approved list" of substances for truck drivers) - if you're worried about dropping a bad drug test at orientation - then perhaps you should be POSTPONING your orientation until you are sure you will pass.

Too many folks we hear about, that "rarely puff" (not judging here) have gotten sent home from orientation. We hear stories from folks that report their orientation experiences here, how they ALWAYS LOSE a few people the first day.

There's a reason they DRUG TEST the first day of orientation - why waste another minute on someone that can't show up clean for a screen they KNOW they're going to be getting.

Rick

Rick never done a day of drugs in my life exception prescriptions. Current I take Lexapro for my depression, prazosin for night mares, Trazodone for sleep, and hydrazine for anxiety. I have taken my meds faithfully for over a year and a half.

Brett thanks for the information, I will get a letter from my doctor. I was concerned that I would not get hired on especially after I did the DOT physical and then trying to go to a company that can turn people away.

First off - thanks for your service. And sorry for your service related disabilities.

The reality here though - is you are on a number of meds whose side effect - ESPECIALLY IN COMBINATION - might make a companies safety department leery about a hire.

At the least - the trazadone is probably going to be a no-no at most companies we've heard of here.

Again - the SAD PART IS - you will not know, until you go for your orientation physical. Which kinda sucks, because you pack up your life, jump on a bus for hours/days, only to find out you can't get approved for a hire until you get off certain meds the particular company doesn't like. And these meds are at the companies SOLE DISCRETION - regardless of whether or not they aren't on the FMCSA's "no-fly" drug list.

The clinic where you got your Med Card, may have looked up your meds and saw they weren't on the DOT Prohibited List and issued you a card. Out of curiosity - was it a ONE YEAR or TWO YEAR card? I'd suspect with so many meds - they might have issued you a 1 year.

Keep us posted on how you're doing - and best of luck to you going forward...

Rick

Rick was issued a 2 year medical card.

As Brett mentions - there are psych meds that are absolutely prohibited by DOT themselves (adderall would be one of them for example), and one that are OK with DOT, but companies won't allow (safety dept/insurance).

Sad part is - from our experience here, the COMPANY WILL NOT TELL YOU AHEAD OF TIME, whether or not the particular med you take is on the banned list.

We've had users here report to the board that companies have refused to disclose whether the meds they were on were ok (for fear of a discrimination suit supposedly), then when the driver shows up for orientation, they get sent home to get off the meds.

Sadly - there's nothing that DOT or anyone else can do to clear this up.

Crawdaddy - what specific meds are you on? Anything for INSOMNIA is going to put you at risk for drowsiness behind the wheel. The only thing we've heard of being OK as a sleep aid is MELATONIN. The company will not "black list" you for psych meds, as they would for a failed drug screen - you will just be sent home to get your meds changed. It won't go on your DAC - and unless the substance you are taking is on the FMCSA banned list, you won't even be failed on the physical (technically). Simply keep the med card you already have on record with your DMV.

As far as "illegal substances" (and weed is still federally illegal, and even if it becomes federally legal - will not be on an "approved list" of substances for truck drivers) - if you're worried about dropping a bad drug test at orientation - then perhaps you should be POSTPONING your orientation until you are sure you will pass.

Too many folks we hear about, that "rarely puff" (not judging here) have gotten sent home from orientation. We hear stories from folks that report their orientation experiences here, how they ALWAYS LOSE a few people the first day.

There's a reason they DRUG TEST the first day of orientation - why waste another minute on someone that can't show up clean for a screen they KNOW they're going to be getting.

Rick

Rick never done a day of drugs in my life exception prescriptions. Current I take Lexapro for my depression, prazosin for night mares, Trazodone for sleep, and hydrazine for anxiety. I have taken my meds faithfully for over a year and a half.

Brett thanks for the information, I will get a letter from my doctor. I was concerned that I would not get hired on especially after I did the DOT physical and then trying to go to a company that can turn people away.

My question is somewhat along the same lines. I recently did my DOT medical exam, the medical examiner asked me questions about my meds and she looked them over and said that I am good and gave me my medical card. Today I applied for a trucking company and they informed me that based on my meds that I have to get a letter explaining all the meds individually and that I may not be able to drive because of the meds I put on my application. I do not under stand this. I can get cleared by the DOT without having to bring in doctors notes but I get hassled by a company. Is there a list I can look at that says what psychotropic drugs are not allowed. Will I not be allowed to drive a truck with having depression and insomnia. I have been taking my meds for a year and a half. Could I get clarification on this please. I don't want to go to the company and get there just to find out that they won't hire and if they don't hire then I guess that means no company will hire since they will pass it along even though I have my DOT medical card.

hello Errol and guys. Quick question. I see on here that some people have to pay a 150.00 fee for something once arriving in Memphis. The recruiter hadn't mentioned it and it's not on the list of things to bring. Can you clarify please. Also they say they give you a pre trip study sheet to go by so you know the order and how to do it exactly. Any chance someone has one they can post so I can study it? Thanks.

I called the TMC recruiter to ask about the company and they informed me I am going to have to pay 300 dollars. 150 is to make sure that I actually go to the cdl training and is refundable, the other 150 is non refundable which is for all the admin stuff that is needed such as the DOT physical and whatever other admin stuff is needed. Not sure if that helps.

Thanks everyone for the information. I really appreciate it. I will do what I have to do. Have a great day!